Flintridge Prep football blitzes Blair in season opener

Flintridge Prep's Elliot Witter turns upfield for a gain against Blair in the first half of a nonleague football game at Occidental College on Friday. Flintridge Prep won, 45-0. (Tim Berger/Staff Photographer)
(August 29, 2014)

LOS ANGELES — Big things will be expected throughout the season by the Flintridge Prep football team as it relates to its passing attack.

The Rebels provided a glimpse of what they hope to see happen Friday night, when they met Blair in a season-opening game.

Quarterback Andrew Tsangeos threw three touchdown passes, including two in the first quarter to Riley Jones, to power host Flintridge Prep to a lopsided 45-0 nonleague victory at Occidental College’s Jack Kemp Stadium.

“It’s a combination we think can definitely be amazing,” said Flintridge Prep Coach Antonio Harrison, who saw Flintridge Prep win its season opener for the first time since 2011. “These guys are very good working together and they always seem to be on the right page.

“We called off practice last Monday just to give everybody the day off after a scrimmage a couple of days earlier. But Andrew and Riley came out and were throwing the ball around and getting ready for the game. They both did a great job tonight.”

The duo didn’t waste any time getting started in sending Blair to its 30th consecutive defeat.

Running back Elliot Witter rushed for 134 yards in 20 carries to help ignite the Rebels.

Tsangeos lofted a six-yard touchdown pass to a virtually uncovered Jones in the left side of the end zone to give the Rebels, who finished 2-8 last season, a 7-0 lead with 5:51 to play. Tsangeos then lofted a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jones down the right side to make it 14-0 with 1:45 remaining in the first quarter.

Tsangeos, who completed seven of nine passes for 85 yards, said he wanted to get Jones involved immediately.

“You just know he can make the catches,” Tsangeos said. “We think we can be a very good combination because we always know what the other is thinking.

“It’s just huge to start the season with a win and we now will try to keep the momentum going.”

Flintridge Prep, which lost its previous two season openers against Carlsbad Army-Navy, scored a pair of second-half touchdowns.

Tsangeos scored on a one-yard run to extend the advantage to 21-0 with 11:07 remaining in the first half. Witter capped the first-half scoring with a 30-yard run to make it 28-0 with 2:17 to go.

Tsangeos connected with Payton Faulkner to make it 35-0 with 8:53 left in the third quarter. Michael Pearson made it 42-0 on a one-yard run with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Place kicker Jonah Sacks capped the scoring with a 28-yard field goal with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter. Sacks converted on six extra-point attempts.

Harrison, a Flintridge Prep graduate and a former player, said the Rebels had to sometimes improvise against Blair.

“We didn’t have any film on them,” Harrison said. “We didn’t know what to expect, so we had to make some adjustments early on and we got things eventually figured out.

“We were able to go out there and put the pressure on them when we really needed to. Now, we take it from there and try to keep the momentum going.”

Flintridge Prep will next participate in a nonleague home game against Brentwood at 7 p.m. Friday at Occidental.